In addition to the Atari 2600+, Atari (that is not the same as the company it was founded in 1972!) has made other moves.

The new Atari (the current iteration was founded in 2001…) has changed hands. Still, under current CEO Wade Rosen, the once-pathetic-sounding company (which was responsible for the 1983 US gaming industry bankruptcy after all!) may finally be coming to its senses. The company focuses on gaming while not neglecting to preserve its heritage. They’ve also returned to hardware in a limited way with the nice-but-weak Atari VCS. Now, we hear two announcements from them.

The first announcement is that Atari is acquiring AtariAge, a site dedicated to archiving the company’s software and hardware history, and in the process, making a habit of publishing homebrew titles on its website. “Atari is now taking its retro-related IP seriously and creating a wide array of hardware and software based on that IP while creating new, original content. […] Atari, for the first time in years, is targeting and embracing enthusiasts like ourselves while also making products that appeal to those who grew up with Atari and have a fond nostalgia for the brand but aren’t steeped in retro gaming as we are,” the site’s founder, Albert Yarusso said.

Yarusso will not be put out on the street by Atari: he will be the company’s internal historian, while AtariAge will receive the investment to enable e-commerce on the platform (i.e., no need to search eBay or Amazon for hardware or software…). The public has welcomed chiefly the acquisition. Still, some fear that Atari can’t be trusted because AtariAge is the company’s number one source of content, while Atari has often had bad management. “All we can do is ask you to keep an open mind and give us time to prove you wrong. We heard many of the same things when we acquired MobyGames a year and a half ago. We have given Jeremiah, who runs MobyGames, more resources to invest in improving the site and left the day-to-day management in his hands and the hands of his volunteer admins. And of course, just keep asking Al [Yarusso] how things are going because the site will remain in his skillful hands,” an Atari spokesperson replied on the AtariAge forum.

The other announcement is the Atari 2600+. The 2600 was the company’s most successful console and will be made into a refreshed hardware console, retaining the wooden-panel look. It supports 2600 and 7800 cartridges, has HDMI output, and gets a widescreen mode. As part of the package, you get a 10-in-1 cartridge with titles such as Missile Command and Yars’ Revenge (the full list: Adventure, Combat, Dodge ‘Em, Haunted House, Maze Craze, Missile Command, Realsports Volleyball, Surround, Video Pinball, Yars’ Revenge). The price is $130.

At least this time, there’s no stupidity like when Soulja Boy, who overpriced and resold Chinese consoles, claimed to own Atari, leading to Atari denying it (they must have laughed in the office…).

Source: PCGamer